Sorina Week Oneshots
by Gressmann
Summary: Here's my submission for Sorina Week 2018!
1. Partners, or: Noticing

Here's my contribution for Sorina Week 2018! Hope you enjoy!

Gressmann.

* * *

It just wasn't Erina Nakiri's day.

First of all, the normally punctual princess accidentally slept in, leading to her rushing her morning routine in order to make sure she wasn't late to school. For most girls, this would mean that they would show up to class, appearance hastily thrown together as a mark of their hurrying.

But Erina wasn't like 'most girls'. She had a reputation to uphold, and she wouldn't let some measly lost time get in her way.

As such, even with the obstacle, Erina still was as beautiful as ever when she stepped into class.

But that didn't mean her mood was in the same state. And it didn't when she remembered what her first class of the day was.

This is the second reason why Erina wasn't having the best of days.

It was the only class that she had with _him_.

Soma Yukihira.

The boy had been the bane of her elegant lifestyle since the moment he stepped into it. He had completely her world upside down; he seemed to breeze through life, without a care for anything that happened to him. No, that wasn't it. It's not like he didn't care, he was the one who had saved Totsuki from her father's reign of terror. He simply didn't let negativity affect him. And that infuriated her to no end. Her, whose life had been defined by negativity, from her father's abusive treatment, to the criticism she placed on other chefs with her God's Tongue.

But despite his contrary living, she had much to be thankful for. He was the one who nearly singlehandedly brought the Rebels from extinction. The two had worked as partners, equals, when facing Azami's cohorts. She had even begun to nearly, barely respect his skill as a chef. But being who she was, she knew she wouldn't let him catch on.

And it wasn't only thankfulness. Being able to truly relax after her father's banishment, Erina had begun to notice things. She had never realized how bright Soma's eyes shown when he presents a dish, or the dopey way he smiles when with friends. How he rubs the back of his neck when embarrassed or nervous (Which, she had also noticed happened much more often when he's talking to her), the way his hair just never seems to go down.

The way her heart feels, like it's jumping every which way when their eyes meet. The way her cheeks blush when he smiles at her. She had always taken these reactions as symptoms of being annoyed, but recently...

"Yo Nakiri! Are you just going to sit there, or what?" The boy in question asked (More like yelled directly into her ear), shocking her out of her thoughts.

Yeah, definitely annoyance.

Erina noticed that she had sat down at her desk without her knowing it, being too caught up in her reverie to notice. She looked up to Yukihira, catching his gaze in her own.

And her heart started beating in that senseless manner of its, the traitor.

"What was that, Yukihira?"

"Oh, you didn't hear, huh? The teacher told us to get into partners, and it looked like everyone was too afraid to pair with ya, so..."

Looking around, Erina saw that, yes, all the other students had already paired off.

"So?" She asked.

"Will you be my partner?"

Yes, today just wasn't be her day. But she didn't have the heart to refuse such a direct offer.

* * *

Naturally, the duo aced the assignment, with plenty of time to spare. So, the two sat, side by side (Soma's decision, not Erina's), causing what must surely be some sort of heart condition in Erina's chest. An uncomfortable silence filled the space between the two, absorbing them into their own awkwardness, until Soma broke it.

"So, do you want to be my partner for other assignments?"

Erina shot a glare that would normally kill any man besides Soma at him.

"What makes you think that, Yukihira?"

"I just thought it would be really cool," He rubbed the back of his neck, "We make a pretty good team, y'know?"

Erina just blushed and looked away, "Choose your next words carefully, Yukihira. They will determine whether you leave this classroom alive."

Soma hesitated, before saying, "It's just that, I like being your partner. Whenever I see you working on a project by yourself, I always think about how much better it would be if we were to work on it together."

"I don't need your help on assignments, Yukihira. In fact, I would think you would bring down my grades if you tried," Erina interjected.

"That's not what I meant! I... I really, really like working with you. Whenever I do something wrong, you're always there to correct me, or to tell me that I'm being dumb. A-And whenever you're in the kitchen, I can see how happy you are doing the things you do, and I want to keep seeing that. I like it when you smile, Nakiri, I really do. And you are always smiling when we succeed by working together. I want to see that smile every day, so will you allow me to?"

The two had changed positions, Erina facing away from Soma, Soma talking to her back. Erin's hadn't stopped blushing, and the racketeering of her chest had only grown stronger as Soma spoke.

"Y-You've been practicing that, haven't you?" She asked, still looking away.

Soma rubbed the back of his neck again, "Yeah, you caught me," He said, "I've kinda been wanting to ask ya for a long time, so I had to make sure it sounded good."

"But that wasn't you, was it?"

Along with the other things Erin's had noticed from knowing Soma was the way he spoke. And the mini speech he use gave to her wasn't his normal talking.

"I _may_ have had Pops help with some of the wording."

"Say it again."

"What?"

"Say it again, but only you saying it."

Soma's breath hitched for a moment. He took some time to think, almost making Erina think that he wouldn't answer her. Dejected, she was just about to turn back when he started talking.

"Nakiri, I've known you for a while. And I've, uh, noticed some things while knowing ya. Like, the way that you always step first with your right foot, how you always flip your hair in a certain way. I've noticed how you walk so... high and mighty, yet I've noticed how nice and cool you really are. I've noticed the way you handle food and dishes so lightly, it's like you're lifting them up with magic. I've noticed how your hair perfectly surrounds your face with your pointy bangs, or how your smile lights up everything around you. And I really, really want to keep seeing that smile, again and again."

Erina's breath was taken away.

"So, will you be my partner again, Nakiri?" Soma asked.

And, traitorous as it is, her heart spoke on her behalf.

"Yes."

No, it wasn't one of her days. But Erina couldn't find herself getting angry for it.


	2. The Most Important Moment

Soma had always wondered what made his father tick.

Despite raising a child by himself, holding the tragedy of his wife's untimely death, and working as an international chef, Joichiro always had a smile on.

Soma just couldn't get it. No matter what had happened to him, the man didn't seem to let it pull him down.

Being his son, Soma had taken some inspiration from his father. He tried to replicate what he saw in Joichiro, but it was hard. Really, _really_ hard.

All the responsibilities, all the people relying on him to succeed. It drained him, swamped him, and he was afraid that he would eventually not let them be able to pull him down.

That was, until he met _her,_ Erina Nakiri.

Keyword is 'met'.

When Soma had first talked to her during the Entrance Exams, he hadn't truly 'met' Erina Nakiri. No, he met the Ice Queen. The stuck-up, arrogant, cold personality forced upon her. He didn't meet the person hiding underneath until much later.

* * *

He didn't know exactly when they first truly 'met', but he could tell that she was coming out of her shell as they began to know eachother more. She had mellowed out, become more of an agreeable person. Through the reign of Azami, they had worked side-by-side, allowing him to see how she really was.

And before he knew it, she became much, much more interesting to him.

When he had first met her, he thought nothing of it. Erina was just a stepping stone on his way to the First Seat, nothing more than just an obstacle. In fact, that was one of the reasons that he issued the challenge to make her say that his food was delicious.

But after that harrowing experience fighting with Central, the promise became something entirely different.

Before, it was just to prove her wrong. To prove that he, a 'diner boy' in her eyes, could make high-brow, sophisticated cooking. But now, it wasn't that simple.

It wasn't just competition anymore. He wanted her approval.

Soma, not knowing the world of romance, didn't know why he wanted so badly for her to notice him. Well, not necessarily notice him, she did that enough already. He wanted her to see him as her equal.

He liked being around her, the _real_ her, liked being challenged and criticized by that sharp tongue, liked the _feelings_ he had begun to feel when they were in the same room.

He had finally begun to realize why this she was becoming such an important part of his life, why she wouldn't leave his mind.

In that moment, they were two Rebels–No, _partners_ -facing terrifying opposition, and taking it down together.

It felt good working as partners, two equals who play off of each others' strengths. It was almost as if he completed her, and she completed him, in that moment.

And he desperately wanted it to stay that way.

* * *

Which led to him asking her to be his partner.

Soma had been planning on asking Erina for weeks beforehand, but he never could muster up the nerve to do so.

That's right, Soma Yukihira, the boy wonder, the person who faced Central and laughed in its face, was afraid of Erina.

He'd never been one to be apprehensive of talking to people, but the way she made him feel was foreign to him. He didn't know what to do with it.

So, Soma turned to the bravest person he knew: His father. And yet, when asked, Joichiro merely laughed at his son's expense.

"Is that what you called me about?" He said, "I didn't know that you were _that_ interested in the little Princess."

"Pops..." Soma embarassedly spoke into the phone.

Joichiro was currently in Spain at that moment, working in one of the many restaurants dotting the Catalonian coastline. This made it very difficult to find a time that he was free, considering the vastly different time zones the two were in. Luckily, Soma seemed to catch him while on break.

"Hm, you know, son, I was in a very similar position with your Mother," He said.

"Really?!"

"Yeah, really. She had a fiery, uh, spirit. All the other students in our class were afraid of approaching her, me most of all."

"You were scared of Mom?"

Joichiro chuckled, "Yeah. I mean, everyone was."

"Wait, then how did you two meet if you were afraid to talk to her?" Soma questioned.

"Simple chance. We bumped into eachother in the hall one day or something, I don't remember. Didn't really care to."

"What?!"

"Hey, hey, keep it down. Are you trying to blow out my ears? But I'll stand by what I said. The first time you meet somebody isn't the most important thing. When you suck up enough bravery to meet them without the hand of fate, but with your heart, that is the most important moment."

Soma quieted down for a moment, in thinking.

"I don't know where you're getting at, Pops. I've talked to Erina."

Joichiro just sighed.

"Then you haven't gotten it yet. Don't worry, I'm sure you will soon. Tell you what, kiddo, I've got some free time right now. Tell me what you wanna say, and I'll tell you if it's good or not, give you some tips..."

* * *

As he lay in bed that night, Soma thought about the words that his father had said.

 _"The most important moment, huh?"_ He thought, _"When I suck up enough 'bravery' to come to them with my heart? What does that mean?"_

As he pondered, something grew in the back of his mind. He recognized it as fear, anxiety about what he was going to do.

 _"What if she doesn't ever like my cooking? What if she leaves without me proving myself?"_

He tried to turn it away, squash it like he'd do to all negative thoughts, but he found that he couldn't.

 _"What if she doesn't want what I want us to be?"_

For the first time in a long while, Soma was truly afraid.

But he wasn't for long.

As he thought about Erina, a stream of images entered his mind: Of him teasing her, cooking food together, having fun, living in the Polar Star dorms...

The thing they all had in common, was that she was smiling.

Beautiful, radiant, the expression seemed to shine through his mind, burning all of the fears he once had.

He could hear his heartbeat, loud and clear, pick up its pace. A warm, fuzzy feeling radiated through his body, a feeling that he had felt more than once.

It was the same as when the Rebels had won the Regiment de Cuisine. All of the other team members had gathered around Soma and Erina in celebration, but he only had eyes for her. As he saw the carefree grin she had on her face, Soma knew that it was something special, something that he had to cherish and protect. It made him feel invincible each time he saw it.

And he knew, that as long as he could keep Erina smiling, he would be happy.

And at that moment, Soma knew how his father kept on smiling.

* * *

Howdy fellas, Gressmann here.

So, say I was struck with some sort of inspiration, but I just decided I wanted to write an interconnected series of one-shots now.

I'm planning on releasing a total of 7 entries for Sorina week, so watch out for the next 5!

That being said, thanks for the reviews! I appreciate them all.

Gressmann out.


	3. Dances

To say that Erina hated school dances would be an understatement.

If you asked her if she hated bad cooking or the annoying idiots who seemed to populate the world, she would say yes.

But school dances. They were on a totally different level from any undercooked dish or bumbling moron.

Useless (In her eyes), boring, and had the same kinds of morons that she hates.

It had become a common occurence to see would-be suitors of the young woman approach her, before quickly turning tail once catching sight of one of her icy glares.

All Erina could do is sigh and hope to have enough patience to make it through the night.

No, Erina didn't hate dances. She despised every part of their being with every fiber of her own.

Which makes her case even worse when, as obligated by her position as Headmaster, she was forced to go to each one of them.

* * *

The sight was not uncommon: The Ice Princess, Erina Nakiri, sitting alone at her table of one of the events, playing with the lip of a glass, a distant look in her eyes. The entire room, full of the sound of music and chattering from the guests, almost seemed to not affect the blonde.

It was December, the Totsuki's Christmas Ball in fact. The school, under the direction of Erina, had transformed one of its many Shokugeki arenas into a winter wonderland. Garlands and tinsel were strewn around the walls and ceiling, orchestrating a beautiful, glittering display of the school's wealth. Merry boughs of holly and mistletoe, strung down the doorways and walls gave the entire space the feeling of being in a pine forest. Which then brings us to the centerpiece of the entire decor: the Christmas tree.

Strong and gallant, standing well over 40 feet tall, the pine towered over the students standing below. Studded with a multitude of ornaments and decorations, the giant tree almost glowed with an otherworldly light, making it the ideal setting for the celebration.

To be honest, Erina was quite proud with how the occasion turned out. She was not usually the one in charge of decorating an event, usually being too bogged down with Headmaster work. However, no amount of pride could dampen her sour mood.

She had turned away three boys in the course of the night, and the Ball had just started. The Christmas tunes the live band were playing did nothing but grate on her eardrums. The food, made by a team of volunteer students, she deemed barely acceptable. But, none of these came close to the amount of irritation she gained by watching the dance floor.

Upon it, all sorts of students were having a great time, dancing, laughing, having fun. She was fine with that, it's what dances are for, anyway. What she wasn't fine with was a certain _someone_.

In the middle of the floor, was Soma Yukihira, dancing with some other people from the Polar Star.

There were those two who wouldn't stop arguing ( _"What were their names? Suki and Daiso, or something like that?"_ She thought), now in a dance competition. It appeared nobody was interested in it besides the two participants.

Yuki and Ryoko seemed to just be fine dancing by themselves, but Isshiki had pushed them into the crowd with Shun of all people, probably another one of his attempts to 'help them live out their youth while they still can.'

Zenji, being the bookish type, wasn't out there. Erina supposed he just wasn't interested.

And then she turned her eye to the last two, spying Soma and Megumi Tadokoro dancing with one another.

She quickly turned away, while a new well of irritation built up in her chest. She hadn't tasted this kind before. It was bitter, colder, somehow bit stronger than usual. What's worse is that she didn't know where it came from: Megumi, or the look of happiness on Soma's face.

What she could tell is that she _hated_ it. Despised it. Detested it. Any word that can describe dislike, she would use against it. Hell, she hated it even more than the dance itself.

Yet, she couldn't stop herself from looking at the sight. Like a magnet, her eyes were drawn to the pair when she tried to focus her attention somewhere else.

She didn't like feeling this way, especially towards Megumi of all people. The girl was far too caring to deserve any anger on Erina's part. And yet, Erina wasn't able to control herself. She wanted to be in Megumi's place, side by side with Yukihira. She didn't know why she was being so unreasonable, but being around Soma long enough had taught her to not bother questioning the unreasonable, to accept and deal with it.

She had accepted this feeling, but that didn't make her feel any better.

And before she knew it, she was watching _those two_ , and her heart couldn't handle it anymore. Quickly standing up, Erina went as elegantly she could to the closest door, and exited the arena.

She found herself on a balcony, music quietly penetrating the quiet atmosphere outside. The entire view was that of the forest of the grounds, dark and tall, nearly touching the bottom of the balcony. The moon, bright and high in the sky, illuminated the entire scene, giving it an almost ethereal glow.

Erina sighed, and leaning on the balcony, looked up to the moon. She questioned these new emotions she was feeling, where they were coming to her, why were they coming to her at such an intense time.

Unable to find answers, she found her mind wandering. To tall, red hair, perfect grins, white strips of cloth.

Before her thoughts could get any worse, she shook her head to get rid of them, before putting her head into her arms.

"What am I going to do?..." She whispered to herself.

"Going stargazing, Nakiri?" A familiar voice rang out. Right next to her ear.

Erina jumped, "Yukihira?!"

The boy chuckled at her expression.

"Yep," He said, before leaning over the railing, looking up at the moon, "Why're ya so surprised? I was here for a good minute before I talked."

It appeared that, in the reverie of her daydreams, Erina hadn't noticed his entrance.

"I should slap you!" She yelled.

All Soma did was look at her from the corner of his eye, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Are you?"

Erina didn't answer. She just turned back to the view from the balcony, next to Soma.

"Why are you here, Yukihira?"

"I've noticed that you've been looking at me pretty ugly before you went out."

"I didn't know you were watching me so intently, Yukihira."

"Nakiri, knowing you for this long, a guy learns how to feel a glare when you send one his way."

Silence.

"But to be serious," Soma said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I _was_ kinda looking your way the entire party."

Erina's breath caught, and she looked at him. The two of their eyes looked into each other, before they both turned away, embarrassed.

"Oh," Erina said.

"Yeah..."

More silence followed, Soma and Erina looking at the moon.

"What I really came out here for, Nakiri-"

"Call me Erina."

"What?!"

They looked at each other, Erina with a sort of mirth in her eyes, mostly from the look she was getting from Soma. For possibly the first time, he was surprised, embarrassed even at what she said.

She could see why he liked teasing people so much, it felt pretty good.

"You heard me, _Soma_ -can I call you that?"

He wordlessly nodded, blush plain on his cheeks.

"You can call me 'Erina', and I can call you 'Soma', okay?"

"O-Okay, E- _Erina_. I came out here to..." He mumbled the last part. Erina hadn't seen this side of him before, but... she found it barely, slightly, mildly endearing, even cute.

"To what, Soma?" She said, a teasing tone coming through in her voice.

"To ask you to dance with me."

Erina was stuck in stunned silence.

"M-Me?" A blush spread across her face.

"Well, I can see no one else out here, can you?"

And there goes the moment. Erina hit him on the arm.

"Ow! Hey, watch it."

"Idiot. What would people think if the Headmaster and First Seat were seen dancing together? I don't need that much more stress in my life, _Yukihira_ ," She said, placing extra venom on the last word.

"Don't worry, Nakiri, I already got a plan for that!" He said in turn.

"Do you? Well, I'm open to options," She replied, ready to strike down anything he would say less.

What she wasn't ready for, was Yukihira coming close, getting hold of her shoulders, and pulling her tight against his body. She could feel his heat radiating from his skin, being so close. Her heart, if it wasn't already going fast, was definitely in the stratosphere by then. Soma's mouth was right next to her ear, his warm breath caressing her neck, sending shivers down her back.

" _Screw what other people think, Erina, let's just do this for the fun of it,_ " He whispered into her ear, pleasurably chilling her to the core.

Well, who was she to refuse such a convincing argument?

* * *

The duo had emerged from the balcony then, only to find the Ball inside the arena winding down. The band had begun playing slower, more romantic songs. The dance floor was now entirely populated by couples dancing the night away. Erina couldn't see any of the Polar Star members, but she couldn't really care.

She was too preoccupied with the man she was walking besides. What was this between them? Was he experiencing the same feelings as she was? Was he just as scared?

But before long, they had reached the dance floor, and a new song had begun. Leading the way, Soma took her hand and placed his own on Erina's waist. And so they started to dance.

Contrary to what she believed, Soma wasn't that bad of a dancer. Of course, he had a few mistakes, caused some hurt toes, but he was learning fast. Not to mention, the way they were positioned, holding onto each other, felt _right_ somehow.

"Where did you learn to dance, Soma?"

Soma chuckled.

"What?" She asked, annoyed.

"I didn't learn to dance anywhere, I'm just winging it."

Before Erina could voice her concern, Soma quickly spun her and reeled her back into his arms.

"Not bad, huh?" He asked.

Erina just smirked, and they continued to make their way across the floor.

She began to feel something then. It wasn't irritation at his actions, and it was stronger than just mere affection. She didn't know what to make of it, but it didn't feel wrong. So, taking a page out of Soma's book, she just decided to go with it, let future Erina worry about it later. She decided to just go where the music took her for now.

Looking at the man she was dancing with, she tried to analyze every part of him so that she could remember the moment forever.

Soma's eyes, looking into her own, seemed to glisten and gleam in the dim light of the Ball. His red hair framed his face in just a way she could only describe as 'perfect'. The little smile he had, so endearing, so caring, it almost hurt. He had that smile for her, and only her. His lips looked so soft.

She drank it all up.

But was shocked out of her thoughts by a shove to her back. Accidentally, the two had bumped into another couple. A few sparse apologies, and Erina turned to Soma, noticing her new situation.

The bump had caused her to fall onto Soma. He didn't let go of her, so she was pressed up right to his body. Soma seemed to be tensed up, not knowing how to handle the circumstances.

Erina, noticing the moment of silence, decided to take advantage of it.

"Aren't we still dancing?" She asked. There was no hint of teasing, no trace of her trademark irritation. It was a pure, innocent question. And Soma answered in kind.

Without a second of thought, he continued to dance with her.

Erina's heart almost couldn't handle this new condition. They were so close, she felt that same warmth from before, but now it seemed to spread all over her body, filling her up of a new kind of happiness. The music could be off for all she cared, the rush of blood to her ears blocking any sounds from reaching them. The other dancers didn't even matter to her anymore. It was only her and Soma, only them in the moment.

Slowly, she lowered her head to his chest. She could hear his heartbeat, fast, but rhythmic in a calming way. His arms wrapped around her giving her the same comforting feeling. Soma, however, just looked down at her happy face with a soft look in his eyes.

He wished that they would stay like this forever, but he knew that was just wishful thinking.

They continued on like this, until the final song of the night finished, and then continued some more after.

At that point, Erina decided that if Soma was there, she might not hate dances as much.

* * *

Gressmann here,

Wow, that was a lot longer than I had expected, but I really like this type of setting, so you could say I was inspired to write much more than usual.

I thank you all for remaining interested in this series of mine, I really appreciate it all!

Gressmann out.


End file.
